1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disposable plug body that is attached to the opening portion of a channel of an endoscope and an endoscope equipped with the plug body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Until now, in the medical field, an insertion part of an endoscope is inserted into the body of a patient to perform not only the observation of the inside of the body, but also various kinds of treatments on the parts being observed. Specifically, various kinds of treatments, such as resection or collection of observed parts, are performed by inserting various treatment tools, such as forceps and a resection implement, through a forceps channel within the insertion part from a forceps port opening (opening portion) provided at a manipulating part of the endoscope, and projecting the treatment tools from the tip of the insertion part.
A forceps plug through which a treatment tool can be inserted when a treatment is performed is mounted on the forceps port opening (refer to JP1991-042275A (JP-H03-042275A) and JP1990-283345A (JP-H02-283345A)). This forceps plug prevents body fluid, filth, air, or the like in the body from flowing back within the forceps channel and leaking out to the outside from the forceps port opening, due to changes in internal pressure within the body. As such a forceps plug, a disposable forceps plug in which reuse is impossible is general so as to be replaced with a new one for each use from a viewpoint of prevention of infection due to adhesion of body fluid or the like.
JP2008-043774A discloses a forceps plug that becomes removable from the forceps opening by breaking a portion of the plug body. Additionally, JP2006-055446A discloses a forceps plug including a plug main body and an engaging portion that engages a forceps port opening and having a notch formed therebetween. In this forceps plug, the portion between the plug main body and the engaged portion is broken by the pulling manipulation of the plug main body, and thereby reuse of the forceps plug becomes impossible. In the forceps plugs of JP2008-043774A and JP2006-055446A, reuse becomes impossible because the removal from the forceps port opening is accompanied by destruction. As a result, a used forceps plug is prevented from being erroneously reused.